Design

The de Havilland Mosquito was a private venture that was made primarily of wood that was conceived in 1938. The design team included Geoffrey de Havilland, R. E. Bishop, and C. C. Walker.

The outer skin was made of two plywood skins with spruce blocks between. The wing was made out of wood with a fabric cover.

The bomber and reconnaissance versions had glazed noses.

The propellers rotated in the same direction which caused the plane to have a swing on take-off.

Prototype

Officials weren't thrilled by the plane but eventually it's performance sold it.

The first DH.98 / B prototype (W.4050) flew on November 25, 1940. It was powered by two Merlin 21 engines (1,460 HP each). The F prototype flew on May 15, 1941. The PR prototype (WR4050) first flew on June 10, 1941.

In December 1940 the prototype was able to go 255 mph with the single stage supercharged Merlin 21 engines. Then on January 16, 1941 the WR4050 was able to fly faster than a Spitfire at 6,000'. The prototype then had Merlin 61 engines installed and it was able to go 433 mph at an altitude of 28,500'.

Production

On December 30, 1940 a contract for 150 Mosquitos (fighters and photo reconnaissance planes) was given.

Initially an order of 50 Mosquito bombers was given. De Havilland was instructed that the last 10, from the initial order of 150, should be made into unarmed bombers. These were to become the B IV Series I and the first prototype was designated the W4072 and first flew on September 8, 1941.

Fighter

The fighter version of the Mosquito was approved for production in June 1941.

The Mosquito FB.Mk XVIII first flew on August 25, 1943.

Bomber (B)

de Havilland Mosquito B prototype: 1

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk IV: 300 First production model.

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk IV Series 1: 9

Conversion from Mk I: 10

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk VII: 25

Constructed in Canada

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk IX: 54

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk XVI: 529, ~1,200

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk XX: 245

Constructed in Canada

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk 25: 400

Constructed in Canada.

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk 35: 276

Fighter (F)

de Havilland Mosquito F prototype: 1

de Havilland Mosquito F Mk II / NF Mk II: 467

Fighter Bomber (FB)

de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk VI: 2,257, ~2,500

Constructed by de Havilland, Standard Motors, and Airspeed

de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk XVIII: 27 converted FB.VI.

de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk XXI: 3

Constructed in Canada.

de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk XXIV: 1

Constructed in Canada.

de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk XXVI: 338

Constructed in Canada.

de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk 40: 178

Constructed in Australia.

Night Fighter (NF)

de Havilland Mosquito NF Mk II: 466

de Havilland Mosquito NF Mk XII: 97

de Havilland Mosquito NF Mk XIII: 270

de Havilland Mosquito NF Mk XVII: 100 Mk IIs converted

de Havilland Mosquito NF Mk XV: 5

de Havilland Mosquito NF Mk XIX: 220

de Havilland Mosquito NF Mk 30: 530

Photo Reconnaissance (PR)

de Havilland Mosquito PR prototype: 1

de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk I: 10

de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk VIII: 5

de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk IX: 90

de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk XVI: 432

de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk 32: 5

de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk 34: 50

de Havilland Mosquito PB Mk 40: 6

Constructed in Australia.

Trainer (T)

de Havilland Mosquito T Mk III: 362

de Havilland Mosquito T Mk XXII : 4

Constructed in Canada.

de Havilland Mosquito T Mk 43: 11

Constructed in Australia.

Countries:

Australia: 208

Canada: 1,034, 1,134

Australia and Canada: 1,342

United Kingdom: 6,439

Total: 6,439, 6,535, 7,781, 7,785

Manufacturer: de Havilland Aircraft Co. Ltd.

Production: 1941 - 1950

On November 28, 1950, the very last Mosquito, a night fighter, was built.

Variants

Bombers (B)

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk IV: High speed bomber that was unarmed. Entered service in May 1942.

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk VII: Canadian version. Based on the B.V (not built). Could carry weapons under the wings. First flew on September 24, 1942. All stayed in Canada.

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk IX: Bomber. Joined the Bomber Command in 1944. Could carry, in a modified bomb bay, a 4,000 lb / 1,814 kg bomb. Carried the bomb all the way to Berlin. Oboe (pathfinding radar) was installed.

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk XX: Canadian version that had Canadian or American equipment. First used out of Britain in August 1943. First raid was against Berlin on November 29, 1943.

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk XXIII: High altitude bomber. Never built. Was to have Packard Merlin 69 engines.

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk 25: Canadian version.

de Havilland Mosquito B Mk 35: Bomber. Flew for first time in March 1945.

Fighters (F)

de Havilland Mosquito F Mk II: Did not have radar.

Fighter Bombers (FB)

de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk VI: Fighter bomber. Could carry two 500 lb / 227 kg bombs in bomb bay. First flew in June 1942. Entered service in March 1943 / early 1943. Those that were with Coastal Command mounted rockets.

de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk XVIII: Anti shipping. Mounted in the nose was a 57 mm Molins gun. Nicknamed the "Tse Tse." First flew in June 1943. Used mainly by Coastal Command. First action November 4, 1943.

de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk 21: Canadian version of FB Mk VI.

de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk 24: Canadian high altitude fighter bomber. Not developed. Was to have Packard Merlin 69 engines.

de Havilland Mosquito NF Mk II: Used as a night fighter with four 20 mm and four 7.7 mm guns. Entered service in May 1942. Had AI Mk IV or AI Mk V radar. The aerials were located externally on the nose (arrow heads). Speed of 370 mph / 595 kph.

de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk IX: Photo reconnaissance. Had two stage supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin 72/73 engines. First flew in April 1943. Conducted meteorological flights over Europe. Used by United States 8th Air Force.

de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk XVI: Photo reconnaissance. Had a pressurized cabin. Had an dome on top.

de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk 32: Photo reconnaissance. Had longer wings for higher altitude. Made lighter by eliminating armor protection and reducing number of cameras.

de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk 34: Photo reconnaissance. High altitude. To be used in Far East. Had extra fuel in a bulged bomb bay. First delivery in July 1944.

de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk 40: Australian version. Used British or American cameras.

de Havilland Mosquito T Mk 29: Canadian post World War II trainer. Converted from FB.26s.

de Havilland Mosquito T Mk 43: Australian trainer.

Torpedo Bombers (TR)

de Havilland Mosquito TR Mk 33: Post World War II carrier based. Had folding wings. Powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin 25 engines. Used a four bladed propeller. Based on FB.VI.

de Havilland Mosquito TR Mk 37: Post World War II carrier based. Had folding wings. Powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin 25 engines. Used a four bladed propeller. Based on FB.VI.

Usage

Twelve allied nations flew the Mosquito.

Out of all Royal Air Force (RAF) bombers, the Mosquito had the lowest loss rate.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) accepted the Mk I photo reconnaissance version in the middle of 1941.

First Use

The 105 Squadron used Mosquitos to attack Cologne in May 1942 / May 31, 1942 in the daytime. Four Mk IVs flew over the city after the first Thousand Bomber raid to drop their bombs and to photograph the results of the previous raid. Two of the Mosquitos were shot down by antiaircraft fire over Cologne. The next day, from high altitude, two Mosquitos bombed Cologne. Later a single Mosquito, at low altitude, over flew the city to take photos. That evening two more Mosquitos were sent and one failed to return.

10th Anniversary

On the 10th anniversary of the Nazi party coming to power in Germany, Mosquitos bombed Berlin.

Main Night Fighter

In January 1942 the Mosquito started to replace the Beaufighter night fighters in defense of Britain.

In May 1942 No 23 Fighter Squadron, at Ford, received the first Mosquito NF Mk IIs. In August 1942 No 157 received theirs.

In December 1942 the Polish No 307 Squadron received Mosquito NF Mk XIIs.

The Mosquito night fighters ended the war with 600 claimed kills.

First Mosquito Raid on Berlin

On January 30, 1943, Mosquito B Mk IVs bombed Berlin in the daylight.

Against the Gestapo

The Mosquito FB.VIs were used in a precision bombing mission against the Gestapo headquarters in Oslo, Norway. Unfortunately the bombs were duds.

Found the V-1

A Mosquito of the 540 Squadron flew a mission in October 1943 over Peenemünde which lead to the discovery of the V-1.

Air Craft Carrier Use

On March 25, 1944, a Mosquito became the first twin-engine plane to land on a carrier, the HMS Indefatigable.

United States

The PR Mosquitos were designated the F-8.

Withdrawn From Service

In 1951 the last of the Mosquitos were replaced with Bomber Command.

Photo Reconnaissance

The Mosquito photo reconnaissance planes were used by Australia, Britain, and United States.

The first photo reconnaissance mission was over Brest, Bordeaux, and La Pallice. The Mosquito on the mission was able to outrun three Bf 109s at 23,000'. This mission occurred on September 20, 1941.

Fighter - Bombers

The Mosquito fighters were used by Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and United States.

Coastal Command

Coastal Command replaced the Beaufighters with the FB.VIs and used them against shipping around Europe and especially Norway.

In November 1943, the Norwegian No 333 Squadron was the first to receive Mosquito FB.Mk VIs. In December 1943, No 248 Squadron and in June 1944, No 235 Squadron were equipped with the Mosquito FB. Mk VI.

In January 1944, No 248 Squadron received the Mosquito FB.Mk XVIIIs that were equipped with a 57 mm gun. These were used over the English Channel, with one submarine reported sunk, but the 57 mm gun caused structural damage to the aircraft.

Ausberg

Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire used a FB.VI on a low level target marking raid on Ausberg in April 1944.

Rocket Punch

The rockets, when fired at a target, was approximately equivalent to a cruiser's broadside.

Fighters

The Mosquito fighters were used by Australia, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand.

First Squadron

In May 1942 the first fighter squadron equipped with the Mosquito F Mk II became operational.

Malta

The first overseas was the Mosquito F Mk II squadron in Malta in December 1942.

Bomber Escort

The night fighters would also escort the Royal Air Forces (RAF) night bombers to Germany.

V-1 Destroyer

The Mosquito night fighters also destroyed around 600 V-1s in the space of 2 months.